Pallets are commonly used to transport and/or store goods.
Typical wooden pallets include a top deck on which goods are stacked. The top deck is formed by a plurality of parallel transverse top boards mounted on a frame. When the pallet 100 is to be lifted the forks of a forklift are located in passages in the frame.
When locating the forks of the forklift in the pallet passages it is common for the forklift to drive towards the pallet until the forklift collides with the pallet. This collision is between the forklift and the top and bottom leader boards of the pallet (at the front or rear of the pallet), and after repeated such collisions causes damage to those boards. The damage to the leader boards includes splintering and cracking, dislodgement from the bearer blocks of the frame, deformation of the boards, and/or deformation of the pallet as a whole (e.g. by skewing of the pallet). This damage, in combination with the general forces imparted with the repeated impact of the forklift, to the front and rear leader boards substantially affects the structural integrity of the pallet as a whole to the extent that frequent and regular repairs of the pallet are required.
Damaged boards also often cause damage to the goods stored on the pallet due to protruding splinters and/or nails scratching, piercing and/or embedding themselves in those goods.
Further, damaged boards or deformed pallets can in turn cause damage or disruption to conveyor belts and other transport means due to becoming stuck on the conveyor/in the transport. In some automated warehouse systems, pallets are scanned and if a pallet does not conform with the dimensions etc required (e.g. by pallet or board deformation) processing of the pallets is shut down causing expensive delays.
In order to deal with the problem of damaged pallets there are numerous pallet repair facilities located around the world. A damaged pallet is generally repaired by removing any damaged boards and replacing them with new boards. This is a relatively time consuming and expensive process (both in terms of the repair and the “downtime” of the pallet) and one that doesn't so much fix the problem as merely delay the problem: a band aid approach. Further, if repairs are not correctly carried out the repaired pallet may not be of the correct dimensions/specifications and cause problems when being processed (as discussed above).
While pallets of alternative constructions to the traditional wooden pallet have been considered (e.g. plastics or metal pallets) such alternative pallets are inevitably too expensive for the benefits added, leaving wooden pallets and along with their high frequency repair cycle the most common form of pallet.
Additionally, where pallets are made of plastics materials the pallets slip (rather than grab) on the chain conveyers typically provided in automated warehouse systems. This is due to insufficient friction provided by the plastic pallet.
In this specification where reference has been made to patent specifications, other external documents, or other sources of information, this is generally for the purpose of providing a context for discussing the features of the invention. Unless specifically stated otherwise, reference to such external documents is not to be construed as an admission that such documents, or such sources of information, in any jurisdiction, are prior art, or form part of the common general knowledge in the art.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a pallet or pallet leader board that overcomes or at least ameliorates some of the abovementioned disadvantages or which at least provides the public with a useful choice.
Other objects of the invention may become apparent from the following description which is given by way of example only.